I Believe!
by SkySong92
Summary: Starting her junior year, life seems almost perfect for Bella Swan, but there's always that dark shadow of the perfect, the imposing Rosalie Hale hanging over her shoulder. And College. What will that bring? AH B&E, R&E, A
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight. Shocker, eh?**

**AN: Hello there! New readers: thanks for clicking on this here story of mine, but I strongly reccomend you check out _I'll Make a Believer out of You _(And _And Then I saw her Face,_ if you'd like) first(It'll make more sense). Old readers: here we go now, the sequel to _Believer! _:D So this chapter is just a teaser, if you will, mostly flashbacks, but more exciting stuff is going to happen, I promise, so hang in there. Now, my "real" sequel plot starts two years after the previous story ends, so the following, maybe, ten or so chapters are connector, fun, lighter stuff, and the tying-up of loose ends. But, I hope you do enjoy. And I hope it stands up to my standards of writing. :D Sorry it's not up as soon as I said, I was busy on the weekend. :)**

**But now, please read! :D  
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The last few weeks had been so busy, so full, that when I found myself just sitting, with the whole empty afternoon ahead of me one late September Sunday, I was mildly surprised. I was in the little room at the end of the top floor. The piano room, Edward's room. Edward and I had been surreptitiously cleaning it out in spare moments over the last few weeks. Because I hadn't told Charlie and Renée that I'd managed to open it - and probably never would, and because we both wanted to leave it the way it had been, we hadn't tried anything like painting or replacing furniture, but we'd given it a good vacuuming and dusting, and apart from the fact that it looked like it belonged in a museum, it was in normal, nice condition now. Edward had even managed to get the piano back in working order, and sometimes, on quiet afternoons when my parents were still at work, he would play for me.

Today, though, I was alone. The Cullens had gone away for the weekend, to visit Esme's parents, and because Edward still hadn't met most of his new "family", he'd gone along. So, I found myself with nothing much to do. All my homework was done, due to the fact that Edward had left Friday night.

So I got some time to think, sit there in the window, and take stock of my life of the past few weeks. As I sat there, looking back, I liked what I saw, and couldn't help smiling to myself.

I'd been busy, that was for sure, but busy in the best possible way. Apart from Edward - whom I spent most of my waking moments with - I had friends, more then I'd ever really had before. I'd explained it to Renée by saying that I just got along better with the kids at Mapledale, but I knew the real reason was that I'd changed this summer. The summer with Edward had opened me up, made me loosen up a little. It had made me act more my age - younger, in a way.

So, apart from Edward, my days at MHS were filled with the other friends I'd made. There was Angela, the shy, but very sweet girl who'd first reached out to me, even before school started. There was Jessica, who, even if I could tell wasn't going to mean as much to me as Angela, was fun to be around. Then there was the rest of their group, the members of whom I knew to varying degrees; Eric, the kind of awkward, geeky, but genuinely sweet guy in my English class, Mike, the goofy jokester who I could tell Jess had her eye on, Lauren, a standoffish girl I didn't know very well, Ben, Tyler . . . the list of people whom I could now consider friends or acquaintances was already longer than it had ever been in Phoenix.

And then there was Emmett and his friends. Although Edward and I, if we weren't alone, usually spent our time with Jess and Angela's friends, I'd still gotten to meet, at least, if not know, most of Emmett's friends. Some, like the happy-go-lucky, goofy Garrett, I really liked, but others, like James, kind of intimidated me.

To add to the list of these people that I now saw most days, spent my free time with, there was also Edward's new family. It kind of amazed me, how they'd just accepted Edward as a new member of their family, and were now ready and willing to do the same for me. Renée and Charlie didn't mind having Edward around, but we spent most of our time at his house, and it had become almost like a second home. Emmett was the big brother I'd always wanted to have - unbearable teasing included. I didn't see much of Carlisle, because he worked so much at the hospital, but Esme had welcomed me with open arms from day one.

So, add to this newfound social life the fact that I'd just started my junior year of high school, I was very busy. Busy, but loving it, so it was with contentment that I looked over what my life now was, on this sunny Sunday.

As I looked back, there was only one dark blot on the rich, shining tapestry that my life had become. The thorn in my side, the itchy tag on my t-shirt, the shadow hanging over my head, always ready and eager to slip out over the sun on what I'd thought was a perfect day. Rosalie Hale.

Ever since the day Edward had shot her down in the cafeteria(which had caused a mild sensation in the student body. As Angela put it - and she was a reliable source - "I don't think it's ever happened before."), she'd stopped making plays for him, but she was always still there, now with me as her target.

Well, maybe "always" was the wrong term. It wasn't as if she was constantly behind my back, dogging my every step, but she had an uncanny ability to appear out of the blue to ruin what I'd thought was a perfect day, or make my self esteem plummet on what wasn't really a very good one. It wasn't much, just a few choice words whispered in my ear as she blew by my locker, or a glance that brought to mind the phrase "If looks could kill", thrown at me across the lunchroom.

It was enough to stop my life from being perfect, enough to always hang a cloud of doubt and niggling fear over my head. I didn't dare say anything to Edward, but I did bring it up with Angela one day.

It was a moment of weakness, when we were sitting outside in the warm September sun because our math teacher had called in sick, so we had a free period, that the question just slipped out. "Ang, why does she hate me?"

She was caught by surprise, of course. A second before we'd been talking about music, or something as equally mundane and unimportant. "Who? Bella, no one-" and then it seemed to click, but I continued anyways.

"Rosalie!" with disgust, I realized I was crying. "She hates me, she's got it in for me, and it's only a matter of time before she tries for Edward again, and sooner or later he'll see that he should be with-"

"Bella." she grabbed me by my shoulders, shaking me a little. "Stop. First of all, I don't think you need to worry about Edward. Besides, are you stupid? Yeah, maybe Rosalie's prettier than you, but that's the _only _thing she's got going for her, and besides, it doesn't mater to Edward, you know that."

"But she-" I was blubbering, acting like an idiot, but I couldn't help myself - all the doubts and fears of the past weeks came spilling out.

"Let me finish. Even if Edward would ever look at Rose - which he wouldn't - I don't think she's actually interested in him. I've known her since kindergarten, Bella, I know what she's like. She doesn't actually want him, regardless of the show she makes. He's younger than her, for goodness sakes. In her books, "If thou art a girl, thou shalt not date a guy younger than thyself" is practically one of the ten commandments."

I thought of that, but it still didn't make any sense. "Then why-"

"Don't you see, Bella, it's the chase Rose likes. Actually, no, scrap that. It's the power. Any of the guys Rosalie has dated, she never wanted any of them. She just wanted to prove she could have them. She prides herself on the fact that any guy here she hasn't dated, it's because she doesn't want him, not because he won't have her. You, by daring to let Edward Masen fall in love with you," she grinned, "turned that upside down."

The way she'd put it, it had all seemed to make sense then, that of course I should just shrug off all Rose's abuse, it didn't mean anything, she was just, as ridiculous as the concept seemed - jealous. But faced with the real thing - five feet nine inches of perfect skin, impeccable make-up, honey-blond curls, and professionally manicured nails, it was hard to tell myself that my fears were groundless. Heck, it was hard not to feel two inches tall.

So it was this direction that my thoughts took that afternoon, and I was pulled again under a cloud of doubt and niggling worry. Until, that is, the cellphone in my pocket started ringing. "Hey Edward, what's up?" I answered, unable to stop myself from smiling.

"Nothing," came the voice, unchanged by the phone line between us. "I just wanted to hear your voice." I smiled. Hearing that pushed the cloud away again, and I knew, even if I would sometimes forget it, that Angela was right, and Rosalie was just a silly, jealous Barbie-doll.

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**AN: Well, there you go, and I hope you enjoyed that! As I said, it's just a taster, and the real story will have more going on, I promise you. Now, if you liked it, please add me to your alerts, your faves, and review! I do love my reviews!! :D**

**Thansk for reading, and I do hope you enjoyed!**

**-SkySong  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, kay? The plot, though, is mine. :)**

**AN: First off, sorry this took so long (by my standards at least :P) Thanks for being patient. :) I've been really busy. Also, I'm having problems with the beginning of this story. The "real" plot, I like, but I'm not crazy about this little bit, I'm afraid it's turning into the type of fanfics I er. . strongly dislike. So, I didn't really want to do these chapters, but there's something that needs to happen and can't be explained as well in a flashback. So I hope these next few chapters aren't too painful. (please stick with me, I promise it gets better :D) But, that aside, thank you all so much for all the reviews! 12, for chapter one alone! :O Keep it up guys, you're fantastic! :)  
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**Now, read on!**

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After trig, Edward walked me to the door, then headed up to Functions on the first floor, while I went outside to the portable where I took English. As I stepped out the doors, I really noticed for the first time the bite in the breeze that blew across the yard, whipping the last few of the fall leaves into miniature tornadoes in the corners of the parking lot. It was hard to believe that it was almost winter - late November - and I'd been here for almost three months.

I hurried towards the little huddle of rectangular buildings with their cream-coloured vinyl siding, pulling open the door of the one marked with a number six, and stepping into the warmth, where I saw what was probably the least likely friendship I'd made at Mapledale turning to wave at me from a pair of desks near the back of the room.

I smiled back, and went to sit down next to Katrina Taube, again puzzling over our unlikely friendship. We'd wound up sitting beside each other on our first day, because our teacher, being impressively uncreative, had assigned us seats alphabetically by last name. From almost day one, I'd been a little wary of her. She was decidedly pretty, with her pale skin, silver eyes, and long curtain of knife-straight silver-blond hair, not the kind of girl who'd ever made great efforts to be pleasant to me, and, if I needed more reason to mistrust her, she was one of the gaggle of girls that made up Rosalie Hale's ever-present entourage. I'd tried to keep my distance from her, until we were assigned to work together on a project. Then, I'd really gotten to know Kate. she was a lot nicer than I would've pegged her to be from who she spent her time with - she'd actually apologized to me for Rosalie's behavior, although she'd only been able to give me the same reasoning for it as Angela. As for Rosalie herself, she was still at me whenever there was a chance, but the frequency had lessened a little with time.

So I was now, as I'd never believed I would be, friends with one of Rosalie's cronies. We didn't have much to do with each other outside of english, but in our shared class, we talked. "Hey Kate,"

"Bella," she checked over her shoulder to see if the teacher would notice or care we were talking, the turned back to me. "How's it going?"

"Fine." Thinking about our friendship had, of course, got me thinking about Rosalie, which always put a sour taste in my mouth.

Like most people who knew me, she knew that there was pretty much only one thing that could put that look on my face.

"Rose?" she asked.

"Sort of. Kate, when's it going to stop?" I hadn't meant to say that, but the thought that had been in the back of my mind for weeks had just slipped out.

She sighed. "Knowing Rose, not for a while. The only thing that'll really cure her," she laughed at her own phrasing "is Emmett Cullen, but god knows that's never going to happen." She rolled her eyes.

"Wait, Emmett?" This rang a dim bell in my memory. I knew from Edward - although he'd made me swear not to spread it around, because Emmett would kill him - that Em was hung up on Rose, but I hadn't known the feelings were returned. It showed how much she bothered me that I actually considered trying to set them up, just to get her off of my back.

"Of course." Kate replied.

"But that's great!" I exclaimed in a whisper. "Emmett likes her too, we could-"

"Well, obviously." she interrupted me, rolling her eyes. "But that doesn't change anything. They're both too pigheaded to ask the other out. Like I said, at this rate, it'll never happen." The teacher called us to order then, and we had to stop ,our whispered conversation.

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I was still thinking about what Kate had said as I left English. In a way, it served Rosalie right, that her pride and giant inflated ego would be what was standing in the way of her happiness. But it also made sense now, why she was so bitter. Maybe the thing with me wasn't about _me_ at all, but that she resented us, two people who wanted to be together, and were. It was something to think about, all right.

I was trying to stop myself from thinking up plans to get Emmett and Rose together - she didn't deserve my help, I thought stubbornly, even if it would make life easier for me - when I got to the door of my next class - Bio, and saw that there was a notice taped to the door. was away, it said, so we had a free period. I smiled. That was a nice turn to the day. I liked Biology, but I also knew that Edward was in Design right now, a class with a pretty laid-back teacher, and it would be easy for me to go and visit him.

I headed up to the area of the third floor where the art rooms were, but when I got to the door of Edward's class, I froze. There was pretty big window in the door, and through it I could see his class, spread out around the round tables, working on their various projects. Edward was at a table with some sketches spread out in front of him, and a pencil in hand, but he wasn't alone. Sitting next to him was a girl I vaguely recognized from my Chem class, and they had their heads bent together, talking.

In a daze, I turned, quickly walking in the opposite direction. I was out on the front lawn, in that bitter wind again, before I'd calmed down enough to rationalize with myself that it was probably nothing. They'd had papers in front of them, maybe he was just helping her with her work. But it didn't really help much.

* * *

I told myself that it was because I was tired, and I had that _Macbeth_ essay to write that I got Emmett drop me off at my own house that night, telling Edward to go home, but I knew I was still stewing over what I'd seen. Most of me was saying it was nothing, but there was a little, insecure part of me, that wouldn't listen.

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The next morning, it was easier to believe that I'd just been being silly, and I felt badly for what I'd done last night, the hurt look in Edward's eyes when I'd sent him away without an explanation. So, after breakfast, I donned a coat and hat - it really was getting cold now - and set off for the Cullen's house.

Esme answered my knock. "Bella! Come in, honey."

I hung up my coat on my in the closet, long ago having been told by Esme to treat he house as if it was my own. "Edward's upstairs?" I asked, already with my foot on the bottom step.

"Oh no," she answered, as if just having remembered. "He went out a few minutes ago, said he had some errands to run. Would you like a cup of tea? I don't think he'll be gone long."

"Okay."

I sat with Esme, drinking tea as we talked, and I would have enjoyed it - I really liked Esme - if not for my suspicions that were creeping up again. I tried to beat them back - was I going to become one of those girlfriends who demanded to know where their boyfriends were at al times? - but I wasn't very successful. I'd just taken it for granted that he always told me everything.

My doubts mostly disappeared when Edward got back, flushed from the cold, about half an hour later. He looked completely normal, and happy to see me. But when I asked him where he'd been, he wouldn't go any further than "running errands". Again, most of me was able to brush this off, but the other part of me was still thinking about it as I went to bed that night, not falling asleep until early in the morning.

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**AN: So, I'm not all that pleased with the way the chapter starts, but other than that I'm relatively satisfied. And. . .duhn duhn duh. . . Is Edward *gasp* cheating on Bella? What? Read on to find out! :) So, as always, I hoep you enjoyed, and please review! :)**

**-Hannah**

**Ps. Yes, Katrina is Kate of the Denali clan. :)  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. :)**

**AN: So, of course, first off, thanks to all my reviewers of last chapter! I know at least one person said that this story doesn't really match up with it's prequels very well, but hopefully I'm getting back to that. Now, this chapter is a little light and fluffy, and it was originally going to be combined with the next chapter, but it was getting long, and I was getting short on time. So, I hope you enjoy this! Keep those reviews, alerts and faves coming, you know I love tham! :D And now, read on!**

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"You really think so?"

"Ang, _yes._ If it doesn't bother you, why should it bother him? Anyways, if he's the kind of person who is going to care about something like that, then you're not missing out." I'd been saying basically the same thing for what seemed like the past half hour (although lunch started at 12:00, and it was only 12:20, so it really couldn't have been that long ) but I must have hit on the right phrasing, because she looked more convinced.

"So you really think I should ask him?"

"Yes," I laughed, "but this is the last time I'm going to say it!"

She cracked a smile at that. "Okay. Thanks, Bella."

"No problem. But could we please get back inside now?" I pulled the collar of my coat closer around my neck and glowered at the steadily thickening snow to illustrate my point.

Now it was her turn to laugh. Angela, in only a sweater and scarf, didn't even seem to be affected by the cold.

We'd been talking about, as everyone seemed to be these days, the Cullens' upcoming Christmas bash. Because Christmas fell on a Thursday this year, we got let out of school on Friday the 19, and the Cullens were holding a big bash for what seemed like half of our school on the Tuesday night before christmas. Nominally, the party was in Edwards honour, but I now knew Esme well enough to know that she would just take any opportunity to get her house all dressed up.

The whole school seemed to be talking about it, but you could almost always tell that something was actually worth getting excited about if Angela Webber was excited. Of course, her interest, as we'd been discussing, rested mainly on her plans to ask Ben Cheney, whom she'd admired for who knew how long now, and who was clearly smitten with her, even if she couldn't see it because of a measly 6-inch height difference. Talking about Ben was pretty much the only time you would ever see Angela acting like a typical teenager, so I was mentally patting myself on the back for having convinced her to finally take action.

If only my own love story were going as well. Of course, on the surface, Edward was the same as always, but there was always still that little niggling doubt in my mind, and there had been a few more instances of suspicious behavior on Edward's part. Of course, I knew I should just tell him about my doubts, surely there was a perfectly reasonable explanation, and we could just laugh it off. But I also knew he trusted me implicitly, and I didn't want to confess that I wasn't giving him the same trust. I didn't really want to confess it to myself either.

It wasn't always hanging over my head, though. I'd still had a wonderful last month of the fall term with Edward, but for the little niggling doubt that would rear its head every once in a while.

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Before I knew it, the last week of school was over, we were all complaining over the amount of homework we'd been given, Angela was over the moon about the fact that Ben had accepted her invitation to Edward's party, and I had realized that I didn't have a) a dress to wear on Tuesday, and b) a gift for Edward.

Because it was the weekend, and the holidays, I didn't worry about schoolwork, and just had Emmett bring me to the Cullen house after school. We walked in the doors to find Esme's holiday preparations in full swing, and we were quickly enlisted to help.

An hour later, Esme and I were occupied in the tedious task of hanging garlands throughout the large house (made all the more difficult by the fact that neither of us were taller than 5'5''), and Emmett and Edward had been dispatched to a place were you could cut your own Christmas trees (Esme had insisted that it was the only way to ensure it was really fresh. I hadn't even known places like that existed - then again, I had grown up in Arizona.) It was while we were both precariously perched on kitchen chairs, working together to hang a particularly long garland of evergreen and silver ribbon above the doorway to the living room that I asked her for help.

"Esme, um what exactly is the dress code for this thing?"

"I put on the invitations 'semi-formal' " she chirped enthusiastically, totally unaware of my dilemma. "It's always fun to get dressed up for a christmas party!" Sure it was, unless you were me, and only owned one skirt, which was nowhere near to being classed as "semi-formal".

"So, what are you thinking of wearing?" Esme asked me after a moment, when I hadn't responded.

"I'm. . . not sure. I hedged. I'm not really the dressing-up type."

"Oh, you don't have to wear a dress if you don't want," she encouraged, "you could just wear a nice skirt and top if you wanted."

"I should have been more specific. I don't _have_ any dressing-up clothes. I've only got one skirt." I confessed.

"Oh." she scrutinized me. "But you don't have anything _against _dressing up?"

When I shook my head somewhat hesitantly, she jumped down from her chair, letting the garland swing crazily from where I was holding it against the doorframe. "Follow me."

After carefuly setting down the garland, I followed Esme up to the master bedroom. All the times I'd been in this hosue, I'd never been in that room. It was big, airy, and beautiful, like the rest of the house. She led me over to a big walk in closet. After I'd followed her in, she turned me around, to face the right wall. My jaw dropped. The entire wall was covered in dresses. Long and short, casual and formal, long sleeved, short sleeved, sleeveless, and strapless, in every colour. She laughed at my expression. "It's my one weakness!"

"Now lets see." She reached around me, to pull out a red velvet dress with three-quarter sleeves. "No, everyone will be wearing red." she muttered. She pulled out a few more, rejecting them all, before she seemed to find what she was looking for. She pulled out a hanger, looked at it, and smiled. "Aha. perfect. I just got this, I didn't know what I'd need it for, but it'll be perfect. " It was of a thick, silvery fabric, not either silk or velvet, but almost a combination of the two. It was also strapless, and seemed impossibly short.

"Esme, I don't think I can wear that - "

She seemed to see what I meant right away. "Oh no, Bella, sorry. It's not actually a dress, it's really just a very high skirt." she held it up on herself so that the top of it hit around the middle of her ribs. "Like this. You'll wear it with. . " She turned around, rummaging through the clothes on a half rack on the other side until she pulled out a blouse. ". . .this!" she finished triumphantly, showing me. It was short-sleeved, and a very dark, Indigo blue silk. It was frilly and feminie, but not overly so. I could sort of see how it might look.

"I'll step out so you can try it on," Esme said, pressing the two hangers into my hands.

I put on the blouse first, the the skirt, pulling it up and struggling to reach behind me and do up the stiff zipper, all the while wondering if Esme would ever stop surprising me. There was the side that most people saw - kind, maternal - the librarian, mother, and foster mother. As I'd been spending time at the Cullen's house, I'd also learned she had a passion for art and design, and now she was a stylist! But it did fit in with the rest of her personality. She just loved to help people, whether it be finding the obscure books on microbiology for a tired grad student, taking a new son into her household, or helping me find something to wear.

She knocked on the door. "Do you have it on?"

"Oh, yes," I pulled open the door.

She looked me up and down, the her face broke into a wide smile, and she clapped her hands. "It's perfect!" she exclaimed. "Everyone will be wearing red, you'll really stand out in this," I wasn't sure that was a good thing, but I let her continue. "and it still looks wintery. But do _you_ like it?"

I realized I hadn't actually looked at myself in the mirror, so I turned, to face the full-length one at the back of the closet. I almost looked like a different person. The dress made me look older, more confident. Maybe I wouldn't mind standing out, after all. "I do!" I replied.

She grinned at me. "I'm so glad!"

* * *

The next week, I spent my time going back and forth between my house - trying to get some of my mountain of holiday homework done, Edward's house - helping Esme set up for the party, and spending time with Edward, while in between trying to get my christmas shopping done. I'd puzzled over what to get for Edward for weeks, until I'd been in a bookstore trying to find something for Charlie and I'd noticed a book called "everything you need to know about american pop culture of the 80's, 90's, and 2000's"

I knew Edward still felt out of his element in the modern world, and as if he didn't know as much about history and pop culture as he should, so, inspired by that book, I decided to put together a pop-culture primer of sorts, with that book, a book of modern history, and then some mix CDs I'd made, such as "the songs from your childhood in the 90s and early 2000s", and "Songs everyone will assume you know". I'd been looking for something personal, but also useful, and I thought I'd found it, expecially since one of the CDs was just the songs that I'd come across in my search that reminded me of him, of us. I'd also, for a bit of a joke, thrown in a DVD of "Casper, the Friendly Ghost". As I wrapped up the box, finishing it with a silver ribbon, I thought it was probably as close to a perfect gift as I was likely to get.

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**AN: there you go! Now, I felt this ending was a little abrupt, but I wasn't sure what to do to make it better, so I hope it's alright. So, I hope you enjoyed it, and, as is probably evident, it's mostly just set-up for the next chapter, where the real action will take place. Also, I hope Esme isn't getting OCC, she sort of seems to be taking on an Alice-type role, as Alice is conspicuously absent. . . :P Anyways, I hope you liked that and are liking this story so far, please leave me your thoughts in a review! :D**

**-Hannah**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: No, I still don't own "Twilight". I also don't own "Silent Night" (Although that's probably public domain. . . ) :P**

**AN: So, I'm not sure what was wrong with last chapter, I didn't think it was too bad, but I hope I'm not losing the thread of this story or something. I'm hoping I just posted it at the wrong time or something. That's not to say I'm not grateful to the two people who did review, thank you both. :) Anyways, I like this chapter, so I hope it's better than the last one. Please read, and I hope you enjoy! **

**Also WARNING: there's a bit of language in this one. But I'm sure you've heard it before, it shouldn't be anything shocking. :P  
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Somehow, in the rush of all the decorating, the buying gifts for everybody, the schoolwork, and my first snowball fight (courtesy of Emmett, of course), I managed to forget, until the night before Edward's party, two important facts; 1. I hated parties, and 2. I absolutely couldn't dance. So, due to this unsettling revelation at around eight-thrity PM, the whole of that night, while I made some last minute preparations for the next day, slept, helped Renée around the house and tried (unsuccessfully) to do some of my homework, I was working myself into a panic. I knew I couldn't bail; Edward and Esme both would be so disappointed, but that didn't stop me from dreading it.

It was not until I was actually getting ready, when I was already in my borrowed outfit of Esme's and standing in front of my bathroom mirror, trying to do something with my hair, that I calmed down. After I'd managed to get my hair up in a way that I was at least semi-satisfied with, I stepped back and looked at myself. Yes, Bella Swan definitely didn't go to parties, didn't dance, didn't fit in. But the girl in the mirror didn't really look like Bella Swan. She was taller, thanks to the pair of little black heels I'd borrowed from Renée. Wearing Esme's clothes, and with my hair up, and the fact that I was very uncharacteristically wearing makeup, I looked stylish, sophisticated, maybe even pretty. I didn't look like the Bella Swan who hated parties, so maybe I didn't have to be her. If I looked at it objectively, maybe I wasn't anymore. That Bella hadn't had many friends, never a boyfriend, wasn't outgoing.

Six months ago, if you'd asked me, I would have said that I liked that Bella. But now that I'd left her behind, I realized that it wasn't such a bad thing.

With that in my mind, I picked my little beaded silver clutch off my desk (I'd dropped off Edward's present with Esme the day before, so it was already there), and set off for the Cullen house.

* * *

My first thought when I walked through the door was that Esme must have been incredibly busy that day, and the night before. Emmett, Edward, and I had been helping her decorate for a few days now, but the rooms in front of me were now almost unrecognizable from the modestly decorated ones I'd left yesterday, having been seemingly magically transformed overnight into a veritable winter wonderland.

I stood there, openmouthed, in the big airy foyer, just staring at the towering fir decorated with silver and gold ornaments until I felt arms slip around my waste from behind. "Hello beautiful," Edward whispered in my ear "may I take your coat?"

I laughed, turning around to hug him back. "Thanks." And of course, as soon as I started to shrug out of my heavy wool peacoat, Edward's hands were there, guiding my arms out of the sleeves and folding it over his arm. It was one of those things that boys seemed to only be able to pick up in an earlier century, and one of the little things Edward did that I loved about him.

"I'll be right back," he promised, heading up the stairs to put away my coat.

I then had a chance to take in the room a little bit more. I was the first guest there, having purposefully arrived early, my excuse being to give Esme any last-minute help she needed, but really because I hadn't seen Edward in nearly twenty-four hours, and, since he'd come back, that was nearly a record.

Apart from the big, beautiful tree, there were more evergreen garlands festooned with silver and gold ribbons, and tiny sparkling lights. These, apart from those on the tree, and dozens of candles in crystal holders sprinkled among the hall tables, were the only source of light in the hall. It gave an overall beautiful, almost fairytale effect.

after only a few moments, Edward came back down the stairs, and as he descended I noticed for the first time what he was wearing - a dark blue dress shirt that looked like silk, with a silver-grey tie and very dark jeans. He looked, as always, gorgeous, and I had a moment to admire him, as he paused on the bottom step of the stairs.

After a moment, though, I began to get worried, as he still wasn't moving, just staring intently forward. "Edward," I took a step toward him "is something wrong?"

"Of course not," he replied, quickly closing the distance between us to stand in front of me. He took both my hands in his, in a gesture that was almost like a reflex, as if he didn't even realize he was doing it. "I was just thinking that you look so incredibly, heart-rendingly beautiful tonight that I may have to lock you in my room for fear of someone stealing you away from me."

I blushed, looking down at our feet. "I could say the same about you."

"Hardly," he laughed. "At least I match you" he held out his arm, and sure enough, it was an identical shade to my blouse.

"Esme suggested you wear that?" I guessed.

"Yes, how. . ."

"She lent me this," I gestured at my outfit. "It is pretty, isn't it?"

"Exceptionally," He agreed, "but nowhere near as gorgeous as the girl inside."

* * *

An hour later, spinning under the thousands of twinkle lights in the Cullens' big dining/living room, I realized how silly my fears had been. Of course I was enjoying myself. How could I not, surrounded by all of my friends, and with Edward? It had been great from the start, when Edward and I went in to see Esme in the lavishly decorated main room, and she hugged me like a daughter, telling me I looked beautiful, to all of our friends arriving, and now dancing with Edward. I'd been a little apprehensive about that, but apparently a really good partner can make even the clumsiest girl twirl elegantly, and, of course, that was another of those things that boys from 1918 seemed to just know.

As the song, an instrumental "Silent Night" - Esme had insisted on only seasonal music - ended, Edward went to go get us drinks, and so I drifted to the side of the room to watch the dancers. I was just thinking how great Angela and Ben looked together - something that depended more upon how happy they both were than anything physical, like a height differential - when I was ambushed from behind. "Didn't you get the memo, Scrooge? One usually wears red or green at a christmas party. Or are you just colourblind? But, I must admit, that outfit is clever, the colour difference, it almost makes it look as if you've actually got breasts."

I didn't even have to see the tall, shapely figure stalking away in her scarlet minidress to know who it would be. She had impeccable timing, picking the perfect moment to strike and set my fairytale evening tumbling around me. I didn't even know how she did it, how she affected me so much, but whatever the cause, I was fighting back tears when Edward arrived with two eggnogs.

The moment he saw my face, he set the drinks on the floor, swiftly coming to stand in front of me, gently gripping my shoulders, and looking me right in the eyes. "Bella, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, fighting back tears.

"Bella, you insult me. You think I don't know you well enough to believe that you're not upset right now?"

"I'm fine," I insisted, but my voice wavered. I'd never admitted to Edward that Rosalie was continuing to torment me. I didn't know why, but for some reason I just couldn't.

"Bella, who was it? What did they do?"

I answered him with another question, one that just slipped out. "Who the fuck invited her?"

"Bella, _who?"_

I shook my head again, but I reflexively looked in her direction, and he caught on immediately. "Rosalie? Wait - like that time in September? Has she been torturing you this whole time?"

I nodded mutely. He knew me too well for me to be able to lie.

His eyes suddenly burned with anger, an emotion I'd never seen on his face, especially not in this concentration. "The fucking bitch." He abruptly smoothed out his face, making his tone polite and pleasant, at least on the surface. "Why don't you just watch the dancing for a bit, Bella, I've got something to deal with."

"No," I caught his arm as he began to stride away. "Just don't. It won't help."

Now he was incredulous. "You don't want me to do anything? I'm not going to hurt her Bella, just giver her a piece of my - "

"No. Just don't." the last thing I needed was for her to think I couldn't fight my own battles.

"Fine," he put his arms around my waist again, steering me back onto the dance floor. "We can just pretend she doesn't exist and enjoy our evening, if you'd rather." His tone was pleasant, but I could tell it was taking a lot of effort.

Usually, this kind of thing, Edward's fiercely protective side made me happy, could always cheer me up, and made whatever had hurt me seem insignificant, but not now. I shook my head. "No. I think I'd rather just go home." I started out towards the foyer, but of course he followed me.

"Bella, you can't go home now-"

"Edward, I can't enjoy myself back there anymore either. I'm sorry. I won't be any good company tonight anyways."

He shook his head, stubborn. "If you want to let her ruin the party, fine. But she's not ruining our evening. We don't have to go back in there, but stay, please?"

"And do what?"

"Well, it's Christmas. That usually entails the exchange of gifts, doesn't it?"

When I didn't immediately object, he started leading me upstairs. We walked down the darkened second floor hallway until we got to the little TV room. It was dark inside, with the familiar couches and entertainment system, but they had been moved around to make room for the tree in the corner. This one was smaller that the one downstairs, and covered in a motley array of decorations, many that looked as if they had been made by a little boy who had no patience for crafts. It was lit by the same warm, twinkling lights as downstairs, a soft, romantic glow in the corner.

Edward led me over to this tree, reaching into the pile of gifts below it. Among them, I noticed the big box containing my present for Edward. "I've got one for you too"

"Me first," Edward insisted. He held out a small, square white box tied with a gold ribbon.

I took it, undoing the bow so the silky ribbon puddled in my palm, and lifted the lid. Inside was the prettiest bracelet I'd ever seen. Suspended from a chain made of little circular silver links was a multitude of delicate glass beads in every colour of blue, as well as a few little silver charm pieces.

Edward gently lifted it from the box, fastening it around the wrist I held out for him. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

"I'm glad," he smiled. "Blue looks beautiful on you. And I had the maker put in some charms, see?" He turned the bracelet to expose in turn a tiny silver key, piano, and diary in turn. Then four round silver disks stamped with letters. First, an "E" and "B". "For you and me", and then an "X" and "O". He took me into his arms to demonstrate those two.

"Edward, it's-"

He held a finger to my lips "Wait, there's one more." He turned the bracelet again, until he found a sparkling, faceted crystal heart. "It's a bauble of my mother's that they managed to reunite me with," he explained. "I thought it looked nice on there. I wanted you to have it.

I swallowed around the new lump in my throat. What had I ever done to deserve someone this thoughtful? "Edward, it's gorgeous. It's perfect. Where did you get this?"

He smiled, obviously pleased. "There's this girl in my Design class - I think she's in you Chemistry class too, maybe - Nora Eastwood? She makes the most amazing jewelry, she had a bracelet on like this, so I got her to make this one for you. We designed it together."

In his design class. It all clicked together.

"When you were running errands - when you wouldn't tell me who was calling you - You were getting this made for me?"

He grinned, nodding. "What, did you think I was sneaking around?" he laughed.

I blushed. "Of course not," I lied.

"Silly Bella. When will you ever learn that you'll always be the only one I'll ever want?"

"I don't know," I laughed. "I guess you'll have to keep trying to convince me."

"I'm going to take that as a challenge, you know," he warned me, before pulling me tight in the most exquisite kiss, effectively driving all thoughts of the spectre of Rosalie Hale - and everything else, for that matter - out of my mind. The rooms downstairs might be beautiful, but I'd take this simple little tree with it's twinkling lights, and Edward, over it any day.

* * *

**AN: So, I had fun with this one, I hope you guys liked it (better than the last one). I think it's ok, and it's not too choppy or anyhting. . PLEASE leave your thoughts in a review. :) I love reviews, but they also help me, and tell me what I'm doing right, and what I'm doing wrong!! Also, yes, many of you called it. OF COURSE Edward wasn't cheating on Bella! :P He was just being super adorable.  
:) Also, I start school in a few days, so I don't know when I'll be writing next. But, I'm more motivated if I get reviews. (hint, hint) Anywho, I'll stop bribing and threatening you now. I hope you enjoyed!**

**-Hannah**

**P.s. rrrrrreview! :D**

**Thanks!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Twilight's still not mine, kay? kay. :)**

**AN: Hello all! So, sorry if it's been a little bit since my last update. :( As I said, I'm going to be pretty busy, so it'll probably only be about one a week from now on, unfortunately. Also, sorry this one's a bit short. Not much happens, I just felt I had to put something in before last chapter and the next chapter, which is going to be a pretty significant plot point, and I figured needed at least a _little_ foreshadowing. :) But there is also a bit of cute fluffyness that will be mildly important later, and that I hope you'll enjoy. :D I hope this chapter's up to scratch :)**

**And then, thank you to all the lovely people who have reviewed and added me to faves and alerts. Keep them coming, please!! :D**

**Now, read on! :D**

* * *

Christmas that year was lovely, just at home with Renée and Charlie, and I discovered for the first time the joys of a real white Christmas, but it still paled in comparison to the beautiful moments with Edward under the little tree in his family room. The rest of the holidays flashed by after that, and Edward and I had a quiet New Year's Eve at Angela's house - talking, laughing, playing board games, and then watching the countdown to midnight on her TV with her and Ben.

And now, with Christmas behind me, the rest of the year was flying by with alarming speed. It felt like just yesterday that I'd moved into the pretty white house and been frightened by Edward's first appearance, and now we were both firmly established at MHS, and well on our way to finishing our junior year.

The second half of the year was in some ways, the same as the first half, but different in others. I still spent most of my waking hours with Edward, and I was still being tormented on occasion by Rosalie and company.

But I also now had a well-established network of friends, and Edward and I were spending close to as much time with Angela and Ben as we were wither each other. I also wasn't alone with my Rosalie problem anymore. I'd vehemently refused when both Kate and Edward had offered to talk to her about it, sure that it would only make things worse, but it was a relief to know my friends knew, and with them on my side, Rosalie's comments were losing their power.

So, despite the almost alarming speed with which it was passing, the second semester was just as happy, if not happier, than the first.

After Christmas, my life had been fairly uneventful - happy, but uneventful - until one weekend in April, when, somewhat to my surprise, I'd acquired, of all things, a cat.

I've never really been what you would call an animal person, but when I'd been at Angela's one weekend and she'd shown me the three tiny balls of fluff that her younger sister had rescued after their mother was hit by a car, I was enthralled. Then, when I'd picked up the little male with glossy, copper-coloured fur, and looked into the greenest eyes I'd ever seen on a living creature, I knew I was done for.

I named him Casper, much to Edward's amusement and everyone else's bafflement, and he brightened my days, cheering me up when his namesake wasn't around.

* * *

After Christmas, I'd realized how silly I'd been before, thinking that there might be something going on between Edward and Nora, and had resolved to always be completely honest with Edward, and voice any doubts when I had them, but also to try and give him the trust he deserved, the same trust he gave me.

I didn't have a chance to put it in practice, though, until one Saturday afternoon in mid-May, when I finished the English paper I'd been working on earlier than I'd expected, and decided to walk over to Edward's house and surprise him. I was walking along, not really paying attention to my surroundings, just lost in thought, when the sound of a door slamming brought me out of my reverie. I looked up just in time to see an unfamiliar white car peel away from the curb and speed off much too quickly down the street.

I considered just trying to put it out of my mind, but I knew it would continue to nag at me, and hadn't I made a promise to myself?

"Edward," I started after he'd greeted me, "who was that leaving your house just now?"

He looked puzzled. He was a good actor, that I knew, but I was pretty sure this was real. I was supposed to be trusting him, anyways. "What?"

"Someone in a white car pulled out just as I arrived. They seemed in a pretty big hurry to be gone, too." I tried not to sound overly suspicious.

Either Edward didn't notice the implications in my tone, or chose to ignore them, and I felt slightly ashamed that I was being so accusatory. "I've got no idea. Emmett's home, though, and I had my music on pretty loudly, he could've had a friend over." he shrugged. "Do you want to come upstairs? I found a song I really think you'll like,"

I smiled. "alright." Of course. Why did I always jump to such conclusions? It wasn't that I didn't trust Edward, I didn't think. More that I didn't trust myself to be enough to hold him. Regardless, I put the car out of my mind.

As spring progressed, I never saw anything else to pique my suspicions, and was easily able to put my mind at ease. Also, I was distracted by other, more real problems.

It was the last weekend in May when Angela altered me to the subtle changes in Jessica, and in the weeks leading up to exams, I noticed them as well.

I'd never liked Jess as much as Angela, but even so, we were both a little bit worried about Jess, who had been acting slightly secretive and jumpy, but happy, for a few weeks, and was now strangely subdued and anxious. When we tried to get her to tell us what was wrong, though, she wouldn't say anything.

So, as Exams approached, I was busy, and happy with all of my friends, and Edward, but also worried about Jess. Both Angela and I hoped it was just Exam anxiety, but we feared it might be something else. What, though, we couldn't say.

* * *

**There you go. :D I hope that was up to standards, not too too boring, even though not much happens. :P I promise next chapter is much more exciting. :) Now, like I said, it'll probably be about another week, possibly more until my next update. :( Sorry. I also have a few other thigns I want to work on so, if you're a Hunger Games fan, keep an eye on my profile, I hope to have a Hunger Games fanfic or two out in the next few weeks. And, if you're not a Hunger Games fan, and you're looking for soemthing to read, I strongly recommend it (and its sequel) :D They're excellent. :)**

**Thanks again to all my readers and reviewers, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**-Hannah**

**P.s. Rrrrrrrrrrrrreview! :D  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Still not mine(these characters, that is)**

**AN: So, here's chapter six. This is where things sort of start happening, so I hope you like it. It's a little short, but it's important. **

**So, here's the thing: I do like to always finish things that I've started, but from a combination of lack of response/ I'm kind of drifting away from the Twilight fandom, I'm losing enthusiasm for this story. I'm still prepared to finish it, if I really get the feeling that people want me to, but otherwise, this story may go on hiatus. And this may sound like I'm just complaining about the lack of reviews of late, but it's not really that. I've got a few other things I'd like to work on (some Hunger Games fics - if you're a fan, I've got one up already, and would love if you'd check it out.), and I'd rather spend my time on them if leaving this off for a while won't really affect anybody. That said, though, I do want to finish this story, and I do appreciate the reviews I get(Thank you to the people who rewieved last chapter!). So I'm not really sure what's going to happen. Anywho, please read, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
**

* * *

"I did it!" The voice came from above, and I looked up from the pages of my book to see Edward standing in front of me a triumphant smile on his face. I stood up, giving him a hug and a congratulatory kiss.

"Of course you did. Congratulations, Edward Masen, you've now officially survived one year of twenty-first century schooling. How was it?"

"Well. . ." he pretended to consider, grabbing my bag from the floor where I'd left it and slinging it over his shoulder "I believe I was at a distinct disadvantage in all of my classes, excepting that one" he jerked his thumb back at the door of the classroom where he'd just finished writing his last exam, music theory. "But then again," he continued, draping an arm around my shoulders as we made our way out to the parking lot "I did have an excellent tutor." he leaned in, kissing me on the cheek, and triggering one of my very easy blushes.

"Well," I replied, "you're a very fast learner."

We made our way out to the parking lot, to a second-hand silver volvo that Esme and Carlisle had given him. One of his New Years resolutions had included a long list of all sorts of twenty-first century things he deemed it necessary that he do, including getting his license, which he'd accomplished a few weeks ago.

I'd had my last exam the previous day, so we were now both free from school, with the whole summer stretching out in front of us.

"So," I asked him once we were in the car, speeding away from the school buildings "what would you like to do with your first day of newfound freedom?"

He considered this for a moment. "I don't really care," he finally decided "as long as it's with you." This was the kind of comment that Edward always came out with, unbearably sweet, but one hundred percent true, that always made me realize how lucky I was to have found him.

* * *

Because I couldn't think of any great idea of how to spend the first afternoon of our summer, and Edward continued to insist that it really didn't matter what we did, as long as his original condition was fulfilled, we ended up just going to the little grocery store near my house - the very same one where I'd bought the flowers for Edward last summer - and picking up the fixings for an impromptu picnic.

We drove until we found a park, mostly deserted because younger kids were still in school and sat in the grass, eating, talking, and reminiscing about the year.

We might have sat there indefinitely, dreaming, watching the clouds, just being, if not for the distant yells of children that brought us out of our reverie several hours later. We both looked up to see a bunch of kids spilling into the park, followed by adults moving at a slower pace.

"You know," said Edward, taking in their identical red shirts "I think we might be in a soccer field."

I looked around, laughing as I saw the white painted lines on the grass around us. "So it seems we are. I guess that's our cue to leave."

After packing up and surrendering the field to the pint-sized soccer team, neither of us could think of anything better to do, so we just headed back to Edward's house to spend the evening.

We had just arrived and were in the kitchen, putting away the remains of our picnic, when the doorbell rang. Edward was about to get it, but then we heard footsteps on the stairs and Emmett's voice yelling "coming!" so we stayed where we were.

After we realized someone was going to get the door, Edward and I turned our attention elsewhere, until the person who had rung the bell spoke.

"Hello Emmett" the voice was thick with emotion, but not distorted enough for me not to recognize it. I'd heard that voice put on a thousand different tones; sarcastic, excited, annoyed, bored, shocked, but never had I heard Jessica sound so vulnerable, so . . . worried.

Even though I knew instinctively that this wasn't something I should be hearing, I crept to the door of the kitchen, with Edward right behind me, peering into the hall.

Jess's face was streaked with tears, but there was also an odd determination there. Even from behind, Emmett looked distinctly uncomfortable. "Jess, c'mon, you knew it wasn't going to be a permanent thing, I'm going to college, we both need to move on with our lives and -"

I was still processing what this meant when Jessica's hand whipped out, connecting with Emmett's face. The sound echoed, sharp and overloud, in the resulting silence.

"You know Emmett," Jess hissed, her face taking on an entirely different expression. "I'd love to do just that, move on, go to college, make something of my life. But I have a feeling that won't work out."

"Oh come one, Jessica!" Emmett exclaimed, exasperated and wary. "I'm sorry if I made you think that this was going to go somewhere you thought it wasn't. But you can stop with the wrecked-my-life, done-me-wrong bit. Just because I don't want to fucking _marry_ you, doesn't mean your life is ruined."

"I'd have to disagree," she spat, catching his arm as he made to turn away from her.

He stayed, but wouldn't rise to her bait, forcing her to make her revelation with no lead-up. " . . . because I'm pregnant."

* * *

**AN: There you go. That's what was going on with Jess. Now, I feel I'm going to have to release 7 soon to sort of . . defend this plotline? Because I promise, it needed to happen, and this isn't just going to turn into one of those pointless OOC high-school drama fics. Anywho, sorry for my sort-of-whininess above, but, please, do review. It makes me happy, and encourages me to write this story, rather than my as-of-yet-unnamed Hunger Games fic that I want to work on. So, there you have it. I feel like these ANs are going nowhere, so I'll sign off now.**

**Ciao!**

**Hannah  
**


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